Dubrovnik eats like the trading republic it was: Ston oysters from beds farmed since the 1300s, capon braised in orange and honey, šporki makaruli, and wines from Pelješac and Konavle. Three days of markets, konobas and cliff bars.
The open-air market fills the square below the Jesuit Stairs every morning from about 06:30 to 13:00: candied orange arancini, dried Konavle figs, lavender oil, homemade rakija and jars of Elafiti honey sold by the growers themselves.
The city's real food engine sits beside the ferry port: a covered fish hall trading Adriatic sea bass, scampi and squid from 06:00, plus produce stalls, Pelješac wine sold in refilled bottles and sheep's cheese from the hinterland.
Ana-Marija Bujić's Lapad bistro turns Dalmatian home cooking modern: šporki makaruli — Dubrovnik's beef-ragu macaroni — plus house sourdough, black cuttlefish risotto and slow lamb. Mains hover around €22-30 and the room is largely local.
Drinks are served inside a natural limestone cave at the back of Hotel More, the stalactite ceiling lit from below. Order a Croatian gin and tonic or a glass of Pošip and carry it out to the sea terrace as the light drops over Lapad Bay.
Oysters here come from Mali Ston Bay up the Pelješac coast, farmed on beds worked since Ragusan times and eaten raw with nothing but lemon. The kitchen also does sushi with Adriatic tuna; half a dozen kamenice runs about €18-22.
Named for the capon that Ragusan nobles ate, this restaurant on Poljana Ruđera Boškovića serves it slow-cooked with honey and orange, beside old Dubrovnik recipes revived from convent cookbooks. Tables sit under the Jesuit church steps.
The city café occupies the Republic's old galley arsenal, its back terrace hanging directly over the old port. Come for rožata, the Dubrovnik caramel custard set with rose liqueur, and a domestic coffee for a couple of euros.
Michelin-starred cooking built into the city walls above the old harbour, with tasting menus running on Adriatic fish, Ston oysters and Konavle produce. The terrace looks down on the Porporela breakwater and the moored boats below.
A two-table sandwich counter on Antuninska where the flatbread is baked in house and stuffed with Ston pršut, sheep's cheese and ajvar. Sandwiches run €6-9; add a plate of cured meats and a glass of Pošip and it becomes brunch.
A stand-up seafood counter in a side lane: octopus burgers, tuna tartare cones and fried anchovies handed over for €5-9 and eaten standing. The chalkboard changes with whatever the boats landed at Gruž that morning.
A narrow bar off Stradun pouring flights of indigenous Croatian grapes: Pelješac plavac mali, Korčula pošip and the near-extinct Dubrovačka malvasija replanted in Konavle. Three-glass flights start around €12 with tasting notes.
A doorway cut through the southern city wall opens onto rock ledges above the Adriatic, where a cash-only bar serves beer, wine and lemonade in plastic cups. Sunset falls behind Lokrum island; swimmers jump from the terrace below.